Cambridge Township Board votes against purchase of The Mill building

For now, a pursuit by the Cambridge Township Board to purchase and convert a vacant building in the village of Onsted into a combination fire and police department has come to an end.

The township board voted 3-2 at its meeting Wednesday, March 12, to end its quest to purchase and convert The Mill, 230 N. Main St., in Onsted. The motion was made after two bids came in beyond the maximum cost the township was willing to pay to have the building refitted to house both the Cambridge Township fire and police departments.

Phil Smith of Jackson submitted a bid of $635,000, but township officials said his bid was missing key elements to properly renovate the building. Krieghoff-Lenawee Co., the other bidder, submitted a $1.5 million proposal. The township had budgeted a cost not to exceed $500,000.

“At this point in time, unless a different option comes along, the process has been stopped,” Richardson said Thursday.

The township board at its meeting Aug. 14 had discussed the possibility of buying the building. The township discussed the potential purchase with Ernie Groeb, The Mill property owner. The fire department is across the street from the former business, and the police department is near the southern shore of Wamplers Lake in the northern part of the township.

Groeb was asking $230,000 for the former Mill property plus ownership of the current fire department across the street. The Mill property’s value is estimated at approximately $400,000, while the fire department property — which was co-owned by the township and the village of Onsted — is valued at about $222,000.

In October, the Onsted Village Council voted to move forward on a counter-offer to sell its stake in the fire department property. The counter-offer approved by the village council asked the township to pay the village nothing upon approval, then a lump sum of $5,000 during the township’s 2014-15 fiscal year as a donation to the park fund. Those terms were accepted by the township.